Day -125

आनृशंस्यं  क्षमा सत्यं अहिंसा दम आर्जवः  |
प्रीतिः  प्रसादो  माधुर्यं मार्दवं च  यमा  दश   ||
 Not being cruel, forgiveness, speaking the truth,  non-violence,
self restraint,  honesty and straightforwardness,  love towards all,
clearness of thought and style,  feeling of tenderness, and kindness,these are the 10 virtues prescribed by scriptures for due observance.( Subhashita)

Kindness is taught to one and all  from childhood , especially in schools. Yet over the years, even educated people became very rude and crude, if we go by History and current happenings. Otherwise a Nirbhaya / Tandoor ( Delhi) case would not have happened in a "Dharmic" country like India ( and how many more indeed?)

Be that the case, I happen to see an animation video film- stating that it had won the Oscar award. The small clip, of 2.30 minutes,  is highly informative, meaningful, thought provoking and above all touching. Wish such cases  often  happen  in our country also.

The video briefly is .... 

• A young woman offers a seat to an old man, in a long  distance train, who stated that he is travelling on a no-seat ticket. The girl also replied that she is also on similar status. 
• The old man gratefully accepts the seat shown  and after a few hours, reminds the girl to sit as she has been standing for long. But she assures that she is ok and has to complete only 5 more hours.
•  At that time the ticket collector comes and check tickets and notices that the girl has offered her reserved seat to the old man. He was touched by this noble and kind gesture and offered her a vacant seat in the next compartment.
•  The girl accepts his offer and starts moving slowly , when the  most extra-ordinary thing was noticed. 
• She reached for her crutches from  the rack above and thereafter started moving forward very slowly. 
• This sight startled the TC and a few co- passengers. End of video.

This does not require an added explanation. Even a boy can understand the implications of such actions. Then why grown up misses the same? That was an extra-ordinary gesture by the handicapped woman al beit in a cartoon film. 

ü  Having travelled in Bus, Train, Metro enough in this country, the author has mixed experiences. 

ü  Now being a senior citizen, I had occasions to request for a seat to very young people whenever felt tired during the journeys. 

ü  Many offered   their seats with a disdainful look and gesture, but nevertheless offered. God bless them.

ü   Some  questions prop up in the mind-

·          Did our education  system go wrong?

·          How our society has become so insensitive to fellow beings?

ü                              (How many films even depicted this —SARANSH/ Baghban for example).

·          Who taught such behaviour? Where did they pick up?

 I started this segment with a story from Bhagavat Purana- blog 118.  In the last 7 blogs I cited many Gurus who have shaped my official life. To that I will add  now a very Very Important guru - the ubiquitous mobile. 

• Today, strange it may sound, many don’t want to be disturbed at all.
• The body language one can sense through  the digital gadget is obviously loud and clear- leave me alone/why are you bothering me? 
• Technology–coupled with the pandemic-achieved solitude/isolation that all other earlier efforts failed !
• Related point is the customer treatment in a digital era. This video  will give insights from banking sector. https://youtu.be/X7gGlRg35Lg
• Video is  well received and highly appreciated  by many, hence cited here.

So Etiquettes, Graceful behaviour etc. may remain Grand Topics for classroom discussions only in  time to come like wild animals in  Zoos or dummy animals in showrooms! We need more practitioners to start/demonstrate a trend of graceful behaviour at office, public and at home( see ending below).

In passing one can say that when we see around most inhuman, insensitive, shameful  and uncivil  actions  , how a society will  become more---

•  Sensitive/
• Civilised/
• Cultured/
• Compassionate/
•  Kind ? 

I remember reading a novel - 

• Where love has gone by Harold Robbins, some 40 plus years back. 
• Here the modified question is  -Where Compassion,  Etiquettes, Humanity--- have  almost  vanished ?

Two  recent cases are cited  from Mumbai.

• At a ST bus stand a teenage girl was seen waiting/sitting on a bench. One youth was hanging around talking on his mobile. This girl took out her purse saw some thing and puts it back to her bag kept nearby. Then she started chatting on her mobile. It was an open bus stand. The youth slowly, like a Tiger approaching the prey, moved behind her seat and Lo vanished with the bad. When the girl reached to touch the bag, she got the current… then video showed her moving frantically here and there….
• A Branch Manager of a Private sector Bank went to his former Bank branch with an intention to rob at 8 PM or so, along with an accomplice. In the process he stabbed two   former lady colleagues - one of them died on the spot .He tried to decamp with cash and jewellery but was caught by public. What one can say, if that is the culture of  an educated / well employed  person?
• Indeed  very sad even to read or write....... even pen refuses to move-read key board...

BEING  THE AUTHOR OF A BOOK ON LIVING/LEAVING GRACEFULLY (2008), LET ME LEAVE THIS  NOT -SO-HAPPY-TOPIC ON A HIGHLY POSITIVE NOTE.

• ONCE RATAN TATA STATED THAT Dr MANMOHAN SINGH IS AN EPITOME OF HUMILITY, CIVILITY AND FORBEARANCE, WHICH I FONDLY HIGHLIGHTED IN MANY OF MY LECTURES.
•  MAY SUCH QUALITIES TRIUMPH IN FUTURE IN OUR BELOVED MOTHERLAND. 
• LET US BE OPTIMISTIC AND EVER HOPEFUL.
• उम्मीद पर दुनिया कायम हैं.

Be happy. Be safe.

ॐ

5 30AM